bogeyman

noun

bo·​gey·​man ˈbu̇-gē-ˌman  ˈbō- 

ˈbü-,

ˈbu̇-gər- 

variants or less commonly bogyman

1

: a monstrous imaginary figure used in threatening children

2

: a terrifying or dreaded person or thing : bugbear

Examples of bogeyman in a Sentence

My aunt used to say to my sister and me, “The bogeyman will get you if you're bad.”

a politician who is the familiar bogeyman of conservatives

Recent Examples on the Web

Jerry Barkan, Pompano Beach Rick Scott’s favorite bogeyman Florida’s junior U.S. senator, Rick Scott, must be getting worried. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2024

Obsessed with procedure, reports, and committees, the bloc has always been a bogeyman for governments both inside and outside it, a symbol of constitutional overreach and Kafkaesque bureaucracy meant to frustrate earnest national politicians trying to help their citizens. —Saim Saeed, Foreign Affairs, 23 May 2019

But the rolling media freakouts about Facebook picture tagging have illustrated that the bogeyman isn’t the government. —IEEE Spectrum, 22 Feb. 2010

Scott has also never run against anybody like Democratic former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, which is why he’s trotted out the socialist bogeyman. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

bogeyman

noun

bo·​gey·​man ˈbu̇g-ē-ˌman  ˈbō-gē- 

ˈbü-gē-

1

: an imaginary monster used in threatening children

2

: a terrifying or dreaded person or thing